Supporting youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the transition to adulthood is challenging. This article provides a description of how Project SEARCH, a model transition program for youth with disabilities, was used to help youth with ASD gain competitive employment. This article includes two case studies and a thorough description of the…

The article briefly describes Project Employability, a job training and placement program for the developmentally disabled in Virginia, and presents three case studies to illustrate the project's job placement process. (Author/DLS)

Challenges to supported employment programs for people with disabilities include conversion of day programs to integrated work options, expansion of program capacity, the need to ensure consumer choice and self-determination, and the achievement of meaningful employment outcomes. Specific recommendations are offered for each challenge. (Author/DB)

Analysis of the employment histories and functional characteristics of 1,411 individuals involved in supported employment programs in 8 states found less than 8 percent had severe or profound disabilities. Further research and demonstration activities and modification of federal and state supported employment policies are recommended. (Author/DB)

Described is an individual-placement supported-employment program for persons with traumatic brain injury. A referral pool of 32 persons is analyzed in terms of demographics, neuropsychological test performance, occupational history, occupational status, etc. Also described are program procedures, data management systems, and the role of…

Supported employment was utilized in the vocational rehabilitation of two people with traumatic brain injury and one with a traumatic spinal cord injury. Supported employment was found to yield real work outcomes, though it required substantial amounts of money to return the three patients to relatively low-paying jobs. Funding issues are…

An analysis of employment outcomes of 109 persons (mean age 28) with severe/profound mental retardation from over 90 local community programs indicated that 93 percent were competitively employed, with the mean wage being $3.63 per hour and mean hours of weekly employment being 22. Twelve months after placement, 81.5 percent of clients were still…

The article presents an interim report on the progress of 39 mentally retarded students in a supported competitive employment training program implemented in 5 school systems and 3 geographical areas of Virginia. Among findings were that 74 percent of the students remained in their jobs longer than 6 months. (DB)

The costs incurred and tax monies saved through the successful implementation of an ongoing job training and placement program for moderately and severely handicapped workers were analyzed. The total direct financial benefit to taxpayers for four years is $90,376. The clients' cumulative earnings were over $500,000. (Author/SEW)

Major ongoing supported employment studies conducted at the Rehabilitation Research Training Center at Virginia Commonwealth University are profiled in this newsletter. The training center involves individuals with disabilities in the design, implementation, and interpretation of the research. The first research study examined the opinions of 110…

Five adults with severe traumatic brain injury, unable to gain or maintain jobs, were individually placed in competitive supported employment. Wages ranged from $4.25 to $5.00 per hour with an average of 339 hours of employment specialist intervention time required per case. Long-term job retention results were disappointing. (Author/JDD)

This report presents results from a fiscal year 1990 survey of supported employment funding and implementation in state vocational rehabilitation (VR) systems, and a 5-year longitudinal analysis of the national supported employment initiative. The report is based on a survey of representatives from the vocational service provider agencies from the…